BackgroundGallbladder mucocele (GBM) is an increasingly recognized extrahepatic biliary disease in dogs.ObjectivesTo investigate cases of GBM and identify variables associated with survival and the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography to identify gallbladder rupture.AnimalsTwo hundred and nineteen client‐owned dogs with GBM.MethodsMulticenter, retrospective study of dogs with GBM, presented from January 2007 to November 2016 to 6 academic veterinary hospitals in the United States. Interrogation of hospital databases identified all cases with the inclusion criteria of a gross and histopathologic diagnosis of GBM after cholecystectomy and intraoperative bacteriologic cultures of at least 1 of the following: gallbladder wall, gallbladder contents, or abdominal effusion.ResultsTwo hundred and nineteen dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Dogs with GBM and gallbladder rupture with bile peritonitis at the time of surgery were 2.7 times more likely to die than dogs without gallbladder rupture and bile peritonitis (P = 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50–4.68; n = 41). No significant associations were identified between survival and positive bacteriologic cultures, antibiotic administration, or time (days) from ultrasonographic identification of GBM to the time of surgery. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative likelihood ratios for ultrasonographic identification of gallbladder rupture were 56.1% (95% CI, 39.9–71.2), 91.7% (95% CI, 85.3–95.6), 6.74, and 0.44, respectively.Conclusion and Clinical ImportanceDogs in our study with GBM and intraoperative evidence of gallbladder rupture and bile peritonitis had a significantly higher risk of death. Additionally, abdominal ultrasonography had low sensitivity for identification of gallbladder rupture.

Gallbladder mucocele (GBM) is a common extra-hepatic biliary syndrome in dogs with death rates ranging from 7-45%. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the association of survival with variables that could be utilized to improve clinical decisions. A total of 1194 dogs with a gross and histopathological diagnosis of GBM were included from 41 veterinary referral hospitals in this retrospective study. Dogs with GBM that demonstrated abnormal clinical signs had significantly greater odds of death than subclinical dogs in a univariable analysis (OR, 4.2; 95% CI, 2.14-8.23; P<0.001). The multivariable model indicated that categorical variables including owner recognition of

BackgroundEffective therapies for transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) are limited, with objective response rates to most chemotherapeutic regimens below 20%. The purpose of this study was to investigate the biologic activity of combined toceranib phosphate and vinblastine chemotherapy for treatment of TCC. A secondary objective was to compare the utility of Computed Tomography (CT) and abdominal ultrasound (AUS) in tumor response assessments.ResultsDogs with TCC received vinblastine at 1.6 mg/m2 every 2 weeks and toceranib at 2.5–2.75 mg/kg on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Tumor monitoring was achieved through CT and AUS. Five patients completed the 16-week study. Based on AUS assessments, 3 dogs experienced biologic response to therapy including partial responses (PR, n = 2) and stable disease (SD, n = 1). Based on CT, 5 dogs experienced a biologic response (n = 2 PR, n = 3 SD). Both imaging modalities (ultrasound and CT) were found to provide repeatable measurements between operators, however agreement between operator measurements was greater when CT images were used to assess tumor size.ConclusionsThe combination of toceranib and vinblastine did not result in improved response rates. While agreement in tumor volume assessments between both AUS and CT were excellent between operators, this did not extend to assessment of tumor response. The higher rate of concordance between operators when assessing response to treatment with CT suggests that CT should be considered for future clinical trials involving canine bladder TCC to improve the accuracy and repeatability of tumor measurement. The data suggest that response to therapy as assessed by AUS or CT do not predict duration of clinical response.

Stenotic nares, edematous intranasal turbinates, mucosal swelling, and an elongated, thickened soft palate are common sources of airflow resistance for dogs with brachycephalic airway syndrome. Surgery has focused on enlarging the nasal apertures and reducing tissue of the soft palate. However, objective measures to validate surgical efficacy are lacking. Twenty-one English bulldogs without previous surgery were recruited for this prospective, pilot study. Computed tomography was performed using conscious sedation and without endotracheal intubation using a 128 multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanner. Raw MDCT data were rendered to create a three-dimensional surface mesh model by automatic segmentation of the air-filled nasal passage from the nares to the caudal soft palate. Three-dimensional surface models were used to construct computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models of nasal airflow resistance from the nares to the caudal aspect of the soft palate. The CFD models were used to simulate airflow in each dog and airway resistance varied widely with a median 36.46 (Pa/mm)/(L/s) and an interquartile range of 19.84 to 90.74 (Pa/mm)/(L/s). In 19/21 dogs, the rostral third of the nasal passage exhibited a larger airflow resistance than the caudal and middle regions of the nasal passage. In addition, CFD data indicated that overall measures of airflow resistance may significantly underestimate the maximum local resistance. We conclude that CFD models derived from nasal MDCT can quantify airway resistance in brachycephalic dogs. This methodology represents a novel approach to noninvasively quantify airflow resistance and may have utility for objectively studying surgical interventions in canine brachycephalic airway syndrome.

Gallbladder mucoceles are potentially fatal in dogs. Multiphase CT angiography was performed to evaluate the canine gallbladder in three conditions: no sludge, sludge occupying ≥25% of the lumen, and mucoceles. Twenty dogs with normal hepatobiliary bloodwork and no‐to‐minimal gallbladder sludge, 13 dogs with normal bloodwork and ≥25% sludge in the gallbladder lumen, and 18 dogs with histologically confirmed gallbladder mucoceles were enrolled in a prospective, observational diagnostic accuracy study. Three regions of interest (ROI) were stratified in the dorsal‐ventral orientation and a single ROI was measured within the hepatic parenchyma. Mean attenuation and presence of mineral were recorded. Average Hounsfield units (HU) were recorded for precontrast, arterial, portovenous, and late venous phases. The overall median HU value for mucoceles was significantly higher than gallbladders without sludge and with sludge; precontrast median overall attenuation was 49.3, 35.8, and 39.7 HU, respectively (P < .000004). Mineral was seen in four (20%) dogs with no sludge, seven (56%) dogs with sludge, and nine (50%) dogs with mucoceles. Mineral in the dogs with mucoceles was located within the central aspect of the gallbladder lumen in 67% of mucoceles; this mineral distribution was not seen in any dog without a mucocele. Computed tomography can differentiate a subset of gallbladder mucoceles from dogs with and without gallbladder sludge, especially in the precontrast series. An HU value of 48.6 is 52% sensitive and 96% specific for a gallbladder mucocele. A hyperattenuating gallbladder on precontrast CT images and centrally distributed mineral can be a gallbladder mucocele.